Cereal Chem 64:137-139   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Protein and Lysine Levels in Developing Kernels of Normal and High-Lysine Sorghum.

G. Ejeta and J. Axtell. Copyright 1987 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Farmers in Ethiopia consume high-lysine sorghums strictly at immature stages of grain development. The protein and lysine levels in the endosperm and germ fractions of developing kernels of eight high-lysine and normal sorghum varieties at 21, 31, and 61 days after flowering were evaluated to determine changes in protein quality and content at these stages. At 31 days after flowering (the late dough stage), high-lysine sorghums had higher endosperm protein and higher endosperm lysine contents than normal sorghums. The highest endosperm lysine content of all genotypes was also observed at the late dough stage. These findings suggest a nutritional basis for the tradition of farmers in Ethiopia to consume high-lysine varieties exclusively at the milk dough and late dough stages of grain development.